Lens suggestions

[uberben]

I plan on buying the Canon 350D this May and I am going to just buying the body and plan on nicer lenses then complete kit would offer. I am currently using a manual camera and take most of my pics on a FL 55mm f/1.2 and a FL 100mm f/3.5. I would like to have some lenses that are somewhat simillar. I read that, with the 300D's and 350d's you need to mulitiply the lens size by 1.6 to find the true size. I have a 2000 budget to spend on a body and lenses. I really like street photography and some landscape. I would like to do more action sports photography as well (windsurfing, kiting, skiing, biking). Should I go with fixed lenses or get a nicer zoom lens? Any telephoto lens suggestions? It will be a couple months till I can buy the body, but I am always on the hunt for deals and would like to know what to look for.
THanks

 

[Big Mike]

No EOS owner should be without the 50mm F1.8, it's cheap but sharp. The 50mm F1.2 is nicer but three or four times more expensive.

If you are used to shooting with prime lenses, it might be a good idea to stick with that. You get better quality for your money than with typical zoom lenses. A 35mm would be the same as your 55mm and an 85mm would be about the same as your 100mm. There is a 'crop factor' of 1.6. This is because the the digital sensor sees a smaller area than 35mm film. You don't actually get the magnification of a longer lens...just the narrower field of view.

You can use EF-S lenses (like the kit lenses). They are designed to only work with that size of sensor (300D, 350D, 20D) but they give you a wider FOV. There are also some third party companies making lenses in this format. The kit lens may not be great but for only $100 when purchased with the camera...it's a good deal. If you plan on using a film camera as well...keep in mind that the EF-S lenses will not work on a film EOS body while regular Canon EF lenses will.

With a budget of $2000, I might look at the Canon 17-40 F4 L. Being an 'L' lens...it's said to be superb.

Also have a look at Sigma & Tamron lenses. They are often less expensive than comparable Canon lenses.

 

[uberben]

I may pick up the EF-S 18-55mm lens on ebay as a cheap lens to have. After looking through the completed auctions they run between 60-80 shipped. Thanks mike for the suggestion. I researched the 17-40 F4 L lens and it may actually be a viable lens option for me.